On this day (August 7) in 1976, Elton John and Kiki Dee topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.” The song became an international hit and was Dee’s only No. 1 single.

Everything is relative, right? Compared to what he did in the first half of the decade, the years 1976 to 1979 were something of a struggle for Elton John. But most other artists would have been more ...